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A street dealer who made a call to pals collect drugs while he was being quizzed by police at the roadside has avoided jail – because it has taken almost four years to come to court.

Jakir Hussain was stopped in his vehicle by police in Leeds in October 2019 and had more than £2,300 worth of cannabis on him, along with £2,615 in cash.

But while being spoken with by officers, brazen Hussain made a call which resulted in people then turning up at the scene and running off with a package from the vehicle.

The 36-year-old admitted dealing in cannabis and possession of criminal cash during a sentencing hearing at Leeds Crown Court, but a charge of perverting the course of justice was left to lie on file after he entered a not-guilty plea.

The delay in Hussain's case coming to court meant he was not locked up.

Mitigating, Giles Grant said that Hussain, of Shepherds Place, Harehills, had since served a sentence for another dealing offence and had also spent time on remand for offences he was later cleared of.

Judge Robin Mairs told Hussain: “You were obviously working as a mobile dealing unit. While being spoken to you by police you clearly called someone who came and removed the cannabis from the car. Normally it would be straight to prison, but it was three-and-a-half years ago.

“You have since been in prison for dealing cannabis, and in those circumstances it’s right I can suspend the sentence.”

He gave him 12 months’ jail, suspended for two years, and 250 hours of unpaid work.

Brazen Leeds dealer who rang pals to collect drugs while being held by police avoids jail due to court delay